~We need to trust in the Lord in all that we do. Look all around this room……..Right now all of us are in different stages of live and we are all learning/growing in different ways. Which hopefully raises questions and concerns to a lot of people in what or how they/we are growing. For instance a big concern for a lot of us on the World Race was fundraising. Raising over 18,000 dollars seemed like a very daunting task. Time consuming, difficult, and not very pleasant at times; and With fundraising come hard conversations about money. Which is usually not a comfortable subject for most people, but it had to be done.
Some of us had to step out onto a stage and speak in front of congregations or just chat with people we didn’t know.
Some of us had to step out in faith and sent support letters out to people we haven’t spoke to in a long time, or tell people who don’t necessarily believe the same thing we believe in. It’s difficult for sure, and we need to have faith it will all be taken care of. A good acronym One person told me was that Faith means Forward All Issues To Heaven.
Sounds simple enough right? I wish it was that easy and it truly is.
When we have true faith in God; he will provide everything we need and he will OVER exceed our expectations. We need to allow him to do his will and not question him. Sounds easy enough.
A good example of that is Mark 8 Where Jesus fed four thousand people with 7 loaves of bread and some fish.
Does anyone know the number you need to use to make that happen?
IF you have done the math 7X572 comes out to 4004. You don’t have to be good at math or a genius to know that’s a lot of multiplication. He can and will always provide in his timing. The problem is people have to have a sign in order to believe in God.
~Read Mark 8:11-12
12 it states, Jesus sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given.” That stands out to me.
It’s Interesting, because I find myself saying and doing the exact same thing. I question people and situations. I hear stories about healings, but I have a hard time believing because I didn’t witness it. I want to see miracles and healings, but I question God, and it seems like I do it more when I need to trust him.
In Acts Chapter 3 John and Peter went up to the temple gates named Beautiful and saw a man who was lame since birth, the man was there every day begging. They got his attention and Peter spoke to him, in (Verse 6) “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” And the man walked. Awesome right?
This story reminds me of our pasts or mine for sure. We all go through circumstances or situations that cripple us in faith, in trust, and in spirit. Why do we let humans hinder us, when the Lord is our strength? It’s probably because we live with the mindset of the flesh, which in Romans 8:5 Says “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires: but those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires. The mind governed by flesh is death, but the mind governed by the spirit is life and peace.”
~So by living a life with the mindset of the flesh we are dead and crippled like the begging man. Now after thinking about this, it makes sense to why I haven’t witnessed a healing or a miracle. I have been living with the mindset of the flesh and a mindset of the world. For the longest time I thought I was living with the mindset of the Spirit, but I wasn’t.
I mean I was attending church every weekend, I was praying most nights when I would remember. Heck every now and then I would even pray before dinner, but that usually only happened when I was with family. I was almost the perfect cookie cutter Christian. The only thing I was missing was EVERYTHING! I was missing the community part, I was missing the trusting part, and most importantly I was missing the authentic relationship with Jesus. How can I live a life through the spirit if I was living a life without a true relationship with the one person who DIED for MY sake?
In order for me to live that life, I had to lay down my worldly life and begin living for him. I had to trust in all that he says and listen to him through the spirit and through his word. I needed to not worry, but I need to listen to him.
-Plus if you think about it, Worrying is like a rocking chair; it won’t get you anywhere.
God has called all of here today for our own reason, to teach us different things in different times of our life’s and we all get to share our life’s together. John 14:12-14 says “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the father and I will do whatever you ask in my name so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Whoa, that’s pretty neat. From what I gather Jesus is saying that we will do greater works than him as long as we believe in Him. Mind blown, because the works that he did were incredible and we get to carry on his good works.
Its great that no matter what we do or what we struggle with, God has already worked it out, he has answers for everything, and he will never let us struggle as long as believe in him.
GOD HAS NEVER FAILED ANYONE, He will not start with us.
Romans 15:13
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
